We are flying above a river where ostrich horses are drinking water.
"So, what kind of trouble is Katara in?" Sokka asked.
"I don't know." Aang replied. "In my vision, I just knew she needed help."
"It would be nice if your Avatar powers could be just a little more specific from time to time." Sokka looks down and notices a mound of earth passing nearby, heading to the wall. "What is that?"
We fly down and follow the mound. Toph is seen earth surfing. Aang, Sokka and I come down beside her.
"Tophie, do you need a ride?" I called out to her.
Toph becomes startled at the sound of my voice and falls backward off of the mound. Sokka and Aang cringe upon seeing her fall.
I had jumped off Appa to help Toph get up when Appa landed.
Once Toph had climbed onto Appa, she scooted over to Sokka and held his arm to prevent her from falling from Appa, since he still didn't have a saddle. Appa soared back into the sky.
"So how did it go with the guru?" Toph asked, happily. "Did you master the Avatar State?"
Aang looks down and freezes, like he's lost in thought. "Uh..."
I laid my hand on his shoulder, gently. "Aang, are you okay?"
"I'm great! It went great with the guru. I completely mastered the Avatar State." Aang laughs nervously and looks down. "Yeah."
✼ ҉ ҉ ҉ ҉ ✼
We arrived in Ba Sing Se, and headed to the Earth King's palace, and dashed through his throne room, where he was sitting peacefully. We stood in front of him wondering where Katara was.
"Katara's fine. You have nothing to worry about." The King reassured.
"But, in my vision," Aang stepped closer to the king. "I felt so sure she was in trouble."
"Well, she met with the Council of Generals to plan the invasion, and since then, she's been off with your friends, the Kyoshi Warriors." The King said.
Sokka smacked my arm from the mention of Kyoshi warriors. "See, she's with Suki. They're probably back at our apartment right now talking about makeup or something."
"Okay. Maybe you're right." Aang shrugged.
"Believe me, if there was any danger at all, Bosco's animal instincts would sense it." Bosco lifts up his head from sleeping to look at the four of us.
On Appa, we all went to our house in the upper ring. After getting off, the four of them run inside to see if Katara was there. Momo approaches us.
"Momo!" Aang exclaimed, happily. Momo climbs up onto his shoulders.
Toph looks around. "There's no one else here."
Aang stiffened. "Katara is in trouble! I knew it!"
"Oh, no." Sokka breathed out.
"Wait! Someone's at the door." Someone knocks on the door a second later. "Actually, I know who it is. It's an old friend of mine." Toph walks over to the door and opens it, revealing Zuko's uncle, the retired general Iroh behind the door. "Glad to see you're okay."
"I need your help."
Sokka and Aang become shocked and angry upon seeing him, and get into a fighting stance. Toph calmly smiles and waves at him. Momo flies away upon seeing him.
As I looked at Iroh and Toph, I raised an eyebrow. "You guys know each other?"
"I met him in the woods once and knocked him down." Iroh smiles sheepishly and rubs the back of his head. "Then he gave me some tea and some very good advice." Toph explained.
"May I come in?" Toph nods, and Iroh walks in before turning to the group. "Princess Azula is here in Ba Sing Se."
"She must have Katara."
"She has captured my nephew as well." Iroh added.
"Then we'll work together to fight Azula," Aang crossed his arms. "and save Katara and Zuko."
Sokka approached Aang and pointed at him. "Whoa there! You lost me at Zuko."
"I know how you must feel about my nephew." Iroh moves forward to place his hands on Sokka's shoulders. "But believe me when I tell you that there is good inside him."
Sokka pushes Iroh away. "Good inside him isn't enough! Why don't you come back when it's outside him too, okay?"
I placed my hand on Sokka's shoulder as he turned to me. Softly, I said. "Sokka, your sister is in trouble. All of Ba Sing Se is in trouble. Working together is our only option."
Sokka's hard gaze softens as he understands, and nods.
Iroh begins walking back to the door. "I brought someone along who might help us."
We all walk outside. Toph puts a couple earth pillars around the nervous Dai Li agent and makes him stand up. Iroh walks over to him and takes the gag off his mouth, revealing this to be the scarred agent. "Azula and Long Feng are plotting a coup! They're going to overthrow the Earth King!"
"My sister!" Sokka pulled out his machete and pointed it at the agent. "Where are they keeping Katara?"
"In the Crystal Catacombs of Old Ba Sing Se, deep beneath the palace."
Iroh, Aang, Toph, Sokka and I run away to help Katara and the Earth King, leaving the captured agent bound.
We made it outside the Earth King's palace. Toph feels the ground below, finding the Crystal Catacombs. "Well, what'd you know? There is an ancient city down there. But it's deep."
She makes a tunnel through the ground, beginning to lead to the catacombs.
I watch Sokka place a hand on his chin, thinking of a plan. "We should split up. Aang, you go with Iroh to look for Katara and the angry jerk," Sokka remembers Iroh is there and places his left hand on Iroh's right shoulder. "no offense."
Iroh shrugs. "None taken."
Sokka holds my hand. "And I'll go with Venus and Toph to warn the Earth King of Azula's coup."
We all split up, Sokka, Toph and I walk up the stairs of the palace noticing General How. Sokka puts his arm out in front of Toph and pulls her behind a pillar. I grab Momo's tail, hiding us as well.
General How continues walking toward the stairs. The Dai Li agents can be seen hiding beside the pillars before putting cuffs on the general's wrists and pulling him down to his knees. Another agent drops in front of How.
"What's going on here?!" The general growls.
"You're under house arrest." The Dai Li agent replied.
"The coup is happening right now! We've gotta warn the Earth King!" Sokka whispers to Toph and I.
Sokka, Toph, Momo and I run to head to the Earth King. We reach the throne room, where the Earth King is sitting with two Kyoshi warriors by his side.
"Thank goodness we're in time!" Sokka wheezed out, out of breath.
"In time for what?" The king questioned.
"Yeah. What are you in time for," A warrior cartwheeled to Sokka, standing just inches from his face. "cutie?"
I rolled my eyes in disbelief. "Sokka, how many girlfriends do you have that I don't know about?"
"One...I mean." He began to panic. "Only you, Venus!"
I examined the girl eyeing my boyfriend, Her eye color was different from any of the girl warriors I had seen, and her makeup was a little off. It looked like Kyoshi warrior makeup, but not exactly. I also looked at the other girl. Everything just seemed off.
I leaned over and whispered to Toph. "These aren't the real Kyoshi warriors."
Toph's eyes widen as she immediately knocks the imposter away from Sokka with earthbending, in which she flips up above us on a statue.
"They're not the real Kyoshi Warriors!" Toph shouts.
The King gasps, surprised.
"Sorry to disappoint you." The dry voiced tone, who I knew belonged to Mai said. She shoots some of her daggers at Toph and I who uses an earth shield to protect us, and kicks the shield to Mai, who jumps over it.
However, just as Mai lands, Toph brings up another pillar, knocking Mai over. Toph smiles confidently.
Ty Lee comes up in front of Sokka, laughing. She starts trying to jab him, but he evades all of them. "Oooh," Ty Lee cooed. "It's like we're dancing together!"
After Ty Lee has raised one leg in the air, I grab her foot, and spin her into the wall. "You know, I kind of liked you, but don't flirt with my boyfriend again, got it?"
Suddenly, Azula appeared behind the Earth King holding him at flame-point. Gravely, she says. "This fight is over."
Before I could do anything, Ty Lee jabs her fingers into my body. Toph and Sokka surrender, and Ty Lee chi-blocks them as well. Momo tries flying away, but a Dai Li agent traps him with a rock glove. Azula shoves the King down the steps leading to his throne.
Toph, Sokka, The King and I are all taken and escorted out by agents. Long Feng walks into the room, looking grim, with some Dai Li agents behind him.
We were taken to a metal prison. Toph had explained that she had been able to create a new bending ability to bend metal. Toph told us that some old friends had captured her and trapped her in a metal box, but she was able to get out using her new abilities. If you ask me, Toph is pretty sick.
Sokka was now on the look-out for any guards to pass by. He looks out the door's barred window.
"See any Dai Li agents nearby?" Toph asks.
"Nope. All clear."
Toph cracks her knuckles and places her hands against the cell door, preparing to metalbend it. The door crumples and she throws away the doorway.
I grabbed the Earth King's hand and followed Toph. "Let's go!"
While being guided by me, the King says. "I'm not leaving without Bosco!"
We run back to the throne room to grab Bosco.
"Come on, it's easy." Ty Lee says to Bosco. "You just walk on your front paws instead of your rear ones."She demonstrates.
I walk on my hands and slowly approach them. "Like this?"
"Exactly, like that...wait a minute!" Suddenly, the floor traps Ty Lee's hands, causing her to backbend on her feet when they touch the ground. Bosco starts clapping.
"That is a nice trick." Toph sarcastically says.
I wave over at Mai. Sokka takes out his boomerang and Toph earthbends a large block of the ground in preparation to fight against Mai.
Mai is uninterested, knowing she doesn't stand a chance. "Just take the bear."
The king runs to Bosco. "Bosco!" Bosco growls happily.
✼ ҉ ҉ ҉ ҉ ✼
Toph was able to locate where Katara was. We awaited the arrival of the rest of the group. Suddenly, Katara had emerged from the catacomb cave and had Aang in her grasp as she sobbed.
She climbed onto Appa frantically. "Azula, struck Aang with lightning when he was in avatar state!"
Sokka and I held eachother close, tears began to spill down my cheeks as Appa took off into the sky, groaning in sadness. Katara places Aang's body on Appa. Katara opens the vial around her neck and uses water healing on Aang's wounded back.
The rest of the team, The King, and Bosco all look sadly and in anticipation. The glowing from the spirit water stops, and Katara starts crying, assuming that it was not enough to save Aang.
Aang's tattoos glow for a second and Aang groans. Katara, overcome with joy that Aang is alive, looks at him, who smiles a little, and she holds him closer.
I heaved a sigh of relief. Sokka pulled me closer in his embrace, leaving a kiss on my forehead.
We turn around as we drift farther away from Ba Sing Se. "The Earth Kingdom... has fallen."